The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. - documenta ...

The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.Anne Catherine EmmerichOn the 30th March 1821, the writer of these pages saw this cross of a deep red colour, and bleedingall over. In its usual state it was colourless, and its position only marked by slight cracks in theskin. . . . Other Ecstaticas have received similar marks of the Cross; among others, Catherine ofRaconis, Marina de l’Escobar, Emilia Bichieri, S. Juliani Falconieri, &c.30She received the stigmas on the last days of the year 1812. On the 29th December, about threeo’clock in the afternoon, she was lying on her bed in her little room, extremely ill, but in a state ofecstasy and with her arms extended, meditating on the sufferings of her Lord, and beseeching himto allow her to suffer with him. She said five Our Fathers in honour of the Five Wounds, and felther whole heart burning with love. She then saw a light descending towards her, and distinguishedin the midst of it the resplendent form of her crucified Saviour, whose wounds shone like so manyfurnaces of light. Her heart was overflowing with joy and sorrow, and, at the sight of the sacredwounds, her desire to suffer with her Lord became intensely violent. Then triple rays, pointed likearrows, of the colour of blood, darted forth from the hands, feet, and side of the sacred apparition,and struck her hands, feet, and right side. The triple rays from the side formed a point like the headof a lance. The moment these rays touched her, drops of blood flowed from the wounds which theymade. Long did she remain in a state of insensibility, and when she recovered her senses she didnot know who had lowered her outstretched arms. It was with astonishment that she beheld bloodflowing from the palms of her hands, and felt violent pain in her feet and side. It happened that herlandlady’s little daughter came into her room, saw her hands bleeding, and ran to tell her mother,who with great anxiety asked Anne Catherine what had happened, but was begged by her not tospeak about it. She felt, after having received the stigmas, that an entire change had taken place inher body; for the course of her blood seemed to have changed, and to flow rapidly towards thestigmas. She herself used to say: ‘No words can describe in what manner it flows.’We are indebted to a curious incident for our knowledge of the circumstances which we have hererelated. On the 15th December 1819, she had a detailed vision of all that had happened to herself,but so that she thought it concerned some other nun who she imagined must be living not far off,and who she supposed had experienced the same things as herself. She related all these details witha very strong feeling of compassion, humbling herself, without knowing it, before her own patienceand sufferings. It was most touching to hear her say: ‘I ought never to complain any more, nowthat I have seen the sufferings of that poor nun; her heart is surrounded with a crown of thorns, butshe bears it placidly and with a smiling countenance. It is shameful indeed for me to complain, forshe has a far heavier burden to bear than I have.’31These visions, which she afterwards recognised to be her own history, were several times repeated,and it is from them that the circumstances under which she received the stigmas became known.Otherwise she would not have related so many particulars about what her humility never permittedher to speak of, and concerning which, when asked by her spiritual superiors whence her woundsproceeded, the utmost she said was: ‘I hope that they come from the hand of God.’The limits of this work preclude us from entering upon the subject of stigmas in general, but wemay observe that the Catholic Church has produced a certain number of persons, St. Francis ofAssissium being the first, who have attained to that degree of contemplative love of Jesus whichis the most sublime effect of union with his sufferings, and is designated by theologians, Vulnus16